Friday, October 2, 2009

Mish Mash Friday

It's been an eon since Your Mama did up a mish mash and today we finally have enough tidbits to work out something nice for the children.

1.In late August of 2009, word on the celebrity real estate street was that actor and prolific property collector Nic Cage had two offers on his two-unit combination pied a terre at the Olympic Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Today the ladees who pen the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties column confirmed the rumor but, alas, had no other details of the alleged sale.

The 3,500 square foot, 48th floor unit first arrived on the market in July of 2008 but after a flurry of breathy press was immediately removed. It reappeared in November 2008 with an asking price of $9,750,000. Property records show Mister Cage picked up one of the units in 2004–for $3,800,000–and the other in 2005–for $1,700,000–and then rather haphazardly combined them in a wonky way that requires slipping through the playroom and traversing complicated hallways to get from one end of the apartment to the other.

The oddly configured corner condo has three entrances, two kitchens plus a wet bar, 2 bedrooms plus a "sleep area" and a windowless playroom, 7 closets and 3.5 poopers, not a one of which has a damn window for ventilation.

The children will recall that the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed Olympic Tower is the very same mixed-use building in which weapons dealer AdnanKhashoggi once owned an 18,000 square foot doo-plex on the 46th and 47th floors. Other residents of the bronze glass building include various and sundry international corporations, dignitaries and bizness people.

In other Nic Cage real estate news...It appears the scheduled September 24, 2009 auction for his white elephant in Bel Air–which put an opening bid at just $9,950,000–did not go as well as hoped because the CopadeOro Road residence is back on the market with an asking price of $17,500,000. As far as we know, Mister Cage still has two houses in New Orleans on the market, as well as an island in the Bahamas, an ass-uglee mansion in Las Vegas and an historic, 27-acre estate in Middletown, RI. There are probably others, but we're too damn worn out talking about Mister Cage's real estate portfolio that we can't be bothered to look.

2.Apparently, and until this morning unbeknownst to Your Mama, skeletal skinny singer Marc Anthony and his big-booty super star wife Jennifer Lopez recently purchased a minority stake in the Miami Dolphins football team. This might seem odd to the children, but the marketing powers that be at the Dolphins are making a bit of a habit of selling minority stakes to major celebrities. In late August, tennis titans Venus and Serena Williams also bought a minority stake as did the queen of Latin Pop (and Miami) Gloria Estefan and her man-mate Emilio.

Given Mister and Missus Jennifer Lopez's new found interest (and stake) in the Miami Dolphins and according to the people at People, the Long Island based couple have reportedly forked over a few pennies for a condo at the three tower, Philippe Starck designed Icon Brickell condominium complex in downtown Miami.

It's certainly not surprising that the PuertoRicancantantes would want a base in Miami...they've both owned property in Miami in the past. However, Your Mama is a squinty eyed cynic and we can't help but question this report. Although Mister Lopez is quoted as saying, "I bought a condo today in Miami," he is also quoted as saying, "We are not selling our homes in New York or Los Angeles, we are just adding Miami."

Here's the thing butter beans: The couple have been trying to unload their Bel Air mansion since at least November of 2008 when they put it on the open market with an asking price of $8,500,000–it's now listed at $7,900,000–a simple fact we're sort of surprised the people at People did not mention or question Mister Lopez about.

So, like the folks at the South Beach Condos Blog, we're gonna wait until we see some transfer records before we get convinced JLo and Mister Lopez are moving into a condo complex where only 30 (or so) of the 560+ units have closed. But then again, maybe a nearly empty building is exactly what the privacy seeking, security craving couple were after.

3.Like so many other professional athletes, retired basketballer Michael Jordan is a real estate size queen. According to the Palm Beach Post, Mister Jordon has applied to build a boo-teek hotel size house at the gated Bear's Club golf community in Jupiter, FL.

The plans call for 37,942 square feet of living space with 26,000 square feet under air conditioning with 11 bedrooms, an as yet undetermined number of terlits, an elevator, guest cottage and a guard gate.

Mister Jordan forked over $4,800,000 for the two adjacent wooded parches that total approximately 3 acres and back up to the Jack Nicklaus designed golf course on Bears Club Drive. Building permit applications indicate he's planning on spending (at least) another $7,627,669 to build the planned two story contemporary beast and according to the Palm Beach Post he's already had most of the trees on the land bulldozed to make way for his hulking house.

Given that property records show Mister Jordan currently owns and occupies a 27,648 square foot contemporary spread with 17 terlits, an indoor basketball court, a putting green and a private damn lake on Point Lane in Highland Park, IL, is it really much of a surprise he wants something equally and unnecessarily elephantine in Florida?

4.This week on tawdry and dee-voonly trashy reality program The Real Housewives of Atlanta, wigged out "singer" Kim Zolciak was given a bowling ball sized diamond engagement ring by "Big Poppa," her still married sugar daddy man-friend who is widely rumored and reported to be large-living Atlanta, GA based real estate tycoon Lee Najjar.

We have no inside knowledge regarding the health or status of Mister Najjar's marriage–MizZolciak claims he's getting a dee-vorce–or whether that engagement ring is an actual engagement ring, but we do know that Mister Najjar recently hoisted his massive Atlanta mansion on the market with a knee buckling asking price of $25,000,000 (shown above).

The ornate and decadent W. Paces Ferry Road residence was built in 1914 with additional renovations and additions in 1921. The recently completed overhaul by Mister Najjar retained the original coral stone clad front facade and added a butt load of square footage to the rear of the house which now flanks and surrounds the swimming pool and spa. Listing information for the Buckhead behemoth indicates the 24,549 square foot mansion sits on a 2.05 acre parcel and includes 9 bedrooms, 11 full and 4 half poopers, 16 fireplaces, 7 full kitchens, garaging for 4 or more cars, lavish public rooms, a theater, smoking room, recording studio, ballroom, massage room, and a hair/nail salon because bee-hawtchas this rich and spoiled do not go to see the beautician, the beautician comes to them.

Listing photos of the property are slim but it wasn't so long ago that Mister Najjar's not very modest manse was featured on MTV Teen Cribs during which two of his youngest children Kaitlin and Jamen escorted cameras into all the excessively opulent nooks and crannies.

20 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I watched the MTV Teen Cribs episode on this property. Frankly, I think it's gross. Gaudy as all get out, and it screams nouveau riche. I know that Najjar has done wonders in developing Buckhead, but this place is so ostentatious that it made my head spin. I just don't understand the uber-wealthy and their desire to be so over the top. It's sad - money truly does not buy class (perfectly exemplified by the Real Housewives of Atlanta).

The Najjar mansion is also featured in the film "Zombieland" which was filmed in the Atlanta area, and I believe in the film is supposed to be a stand-in for the (fictional) Beverly Hills residence of Bill Murray...

Nothing irritates me more than when I'm watching teen cribs, and all these spoiled brats walk around the house going "and this is MY...and that is MY..."...no, it's your parents'; at least walk around saying "this is our..."...LOL...and the Najjar house is indeed proof that all the size (and money) in the world does not equal good taste...what a gaudy, disgusting monstrosity that house is, and what disgusting, spoiled little monsters his kids are...

I love Najjar's house.It is gorgeous. I can't believe he is going to marry that disgusting gold digging piece of trailer trash Kim.All that money and that is the best he can do? A wig wearing chimney smoking woman with 2 kids?Come on Lee...

All of this domicillary excess cries out to high heaven for hefty yearly assessments on super expensive houses. I'd say again between 3-5% of value each and every year. Tax writing time will come soon for Washington and I can't imagine why heavy taxes on the very few at the top would not pass. Unless of course they bribe the Congress as has the medical insurance industry.

Maybe it's just me, but isn't kind of self-defeating for Mr. Cage to re-list the propert for $17.5-million, after he essentially already let the world know he was willing to part with it for $9.95-million?

Ms Ryan's house has stroked my very last nerve into submission. it is simply ravishing.......however the JoLo/marc house seems quite lovely from the outside and the price difference is extreme. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Jordan's house, much like his pathetic speech at his Hall of Fame induction,shows him as the egocentric narcicist that he is. He can't stand that the NBA has gone on without him. I guess he thought they would shut down the league without him.

First of all, with the Nic Cage house they were hoping to get over $9.950M and I thought it was quite obvious they were trying to create a bidding war with the price.. they never intended on accepting under $10M I imagine.. but that auction and price were not well thought out in my opinion.

Cage's house is not worth a penny more than $12M and probably less. Ever since he sold the land next door and the neighbor built a huge and beautiful traditional (that was grossly overpaid for by someone with more $$ than they know what to do with) his woes with this property began. From what I've heard Cage tried to buy the land back for $1M within the month that he sold it but it was too late. There is not much of a lot anymore which is exactly what you would want with a house of this size.

First of all, with the Nic Cage house they were hoping to get over $9.950M and I thought it was quite obvious they were trying to create a bidding war with the price.. they never intended on accepting under $10M I imagine.. but that auction and price were not well thought out in my opinion.

Cage's house is not worth a penny more than $12M and probably less. Ever since he sold the land next door and the neighbor built a huge and beautiful traditional (that was grossly overpaid for by someone with more $$ than they know what to do with) his woes with this property began. From what I've heard Cage tried to buy the land back for $1M within the month that he sold it but it was too late. There is not much of a lot anymore which is exactly what you would want with a house of this size.

Even though West Paces Ferry is a "showy" street with McMansions looming among the classic homes, this is Buckhead, the nicest area of Atlanta. (Not so with any of the other RHOA housewives who live some 30 miles outside of the city limits). Atlanta's true old-money elite lives within spitting distance of this house. I can't IMAGINE what Big Poppa pays in property taxes, but it could be in the mid-six figures based on what others in the area pay.

I hate what he has done to the place and hope it sets an example of what NOT to do (for any neighbors thinking they should spruce up their lovley, but relatively humble, pre-war pads). I will be surprised if he can sell if for more than $15 mil.